Field of the Invention
This disclosure generally relates to a system and a method of optimizing blending ratios for producing distinct products.
Backgrounds
Blending oils, including both crude oil and product oil, is made for refinery operations. Due to the large volume of each oil product that is formed, it can be in some cases desirable to blend the product, for example, gasoline or diesel, at the lowest possible cost, while satisfying quality specifications. For example, if gasoline blends are not made at the smallest possible deviations from the specifications, the refinery profit can be impacted significantly.
Crude oil refineries will produce various liquid fuels by blending intermediate product streams in a manner which minimizes use of more valuable components, while meeting the product specifications. Product specifications either are greater than or less than or equal to constraints for various product properties or qualities. Examples of the product properties or qualities may include, but are not limited to, octane number, Reid vapour pressure, sulphur content, specific gravity, etc. The blending rules of fuel oil are well known in the art. The goal of blending operations has been to meet product demand and specifications and only as a by-product to minimize give-away losses, that is, losses that occur when a premium quality product must be sold at regular product prices.